Edinburgh - 97 Attractions You Must Visit

Dundas Castle is one of Scotland's most beautiful and historic castles. Now an officially recognised 5 Star Exclusive Use venue, the Castle is the stately home of Sir Jack Stewart-Clark and his wife Lady Lydia . The tower house and the adjoining Tudor-Gothic mansion are listed separately as Category A buildings, and the grounds are included in Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.

Dynamic Earth is a not-for-profit visitor attraction and science centre in Edinburgh and is Scotland's largest interactive visitor attraction. It is located in the Holyrood area, beside the Scottish Parliament building and at the foot of Salisbury Crags. It is a registered charity under Scottish law and is owned as The Dynamic Earth Charitable Trust. The centre was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1999.

Edinburgh Butterfly & Insect World is the world's longest running butterfly house and one of Scotland's favourite tourist and educational attractions. Get inside into their world of butterflies, reptiles, bugs and beasties! Take a tour through their rainforest and get close to the animals during your visit.

Edinburgh Castle is a historic fortress dominating the skyline of Edinburgh. It is located on top of Castle Rock, a volcanic lava rock formed 350 million years ago. Edinburgh Castle is Scotland's most and the United Kingdom's second most-visited paid attraction. The castle has undergone 26 sieges in its 1,100 year history. It is beleived to be the most besieged place in Great Britain and one of the most attacked in the world.

The Edinburgh Vaults are a series of chambers formed by the 19 arches of South Bridge. Today, the vaults are one of the most haunted places in Edinburgh. For around 30 years, the vaults were used to house taverns, workshops for cobblers and other tradesmen, as well as storage space for said merchants. In later years, the vaults were a hotspot for the homeless and for criminal activity such as illegal gambling taverns, illegal whisky distillery and, according to rumour, bodysnatchers stored corps

Edinburgh Waverley railway station is the principal station serving Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the second busiest station in Scotland, after Glasgow Central. It is the northern terminus of the East Coast Main Line, 393 miles 13 chains from London King's Cross, although some trains operated by London North Eastern Railway continue to other Scottish destinations beyond Edinburgh.

Edinburgh Zoo, is an 82-acre non-profit zoological park in the Corstorphine area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It receives over 600,000 visitors a year, which makes it Scotland's second most popular paid-for tourist attraction, after Edinburgh Castle. As well as catering to tourists and locals, the zoo is involved in many scientific pursuits, such as captive breeding of endangered animals, researching into animal behaviour, and active participation in various conservation programs around the world.

Fife boasts Scotland's longest continuous coastal path, stunning scenery and award-winning beaches. It stretches for 117 miles and is Scotland's longest continuous coastal path. The Fife Coastal Path is managed and maintained by Fife Coast and Countryside Trust, a registered environmental charity, and is designated as one of Scotland's Great Trails by NatureScot. About 500,000 people use the path every year, of whom about 35,000 walk the entire route.

The Firth of Forth is one of Scotland's most important estuaries, formed by several Scottish rivers. It is located in the east of the country where the River Forth meets the North Sea. The area is home to a large number of bird species and other wildlife. The firth is also an important transport route, with the Forth Bridge and Forth Road Bridge carrying road and rail traffic across the water. The Firth of Forth is an essential part of Scotland's ecosystem and economy and is greatly valued.

The Forth Road Bridge is one of the world’s most significant long span suspension bridges. With a main span of 1006 metres between the two towers, it was the fourth longest in the world and the longest outside the United States when it opened. In total, the structure is over 2.5 km long.It replaced a centuries-old ferry service to carry vehicular traffic, cyclists and pedestrians across the Forth; railway crossings are made by the nearby Forth Bridge, opened in 1890.

The world's first major steel structure, the Forth Bridge represents a key milestone in the history of modern railway civil engineering and still holds the record as the world’s longest cantilever bridge. It is considered as a symbol of Scotland , and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was designed by the English engineers Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker.

This was a former fruit and vegetable market, first opened as a gallery in 1974, and has shown artists from Henri Cartier-Bresson and David Hockney to Louise Bourgeois and William Kentridge. The Fruitmarket's programme, publications and events all aim to ‘show thinking happening’ and ‘to demonstrate that art is a creative, active and generous cultural force’. As well as gallery spaces, the Fruitmarket offers a carefully curated shop including books, artist editions and gifts, and a cafe.

George Street is the central thoroughfare of the First New Town of Edinburgh, planned in the 18th century by James Craig. The street takes its name from King George III and connects St Andrew Square in the east with Charlotte Square in the west. It is located on the north side of the Old Town of Edinburgh, to the north of the Princes Street and to the south of Queen Street, running straight along the high point of a ridge.

The Georgian House, built in 1796, is a house-museum located on No 7 Charlotte Square. It shows how the wealthiest residents of the New Town lived. It has been restored and furnished by the National Trust for Scotland, and is operated as a popular tourist attraction, with over 40,000 visitors annually. Admire the stunning collections of period furniture, paintings, porcelain, silver and glass, and gain a fascinating insight into both the upstairs and downstairs elements of 18th-century society.

Gilmerton Cove is a series of hand carved passageways and chambers that lie below ground to the south of Gilmerton crossroads. It offers visitors to Edinburgh the opportunity to walk hand-hewn chambers and passages and explore one of the most mysterious underworld places in the history of the city. These underground rooms and hallways were hand-carved from sandstone under the streets of a former mining town and current Edinburgh suburb of Gilmerton.

Gladstone's Land is a surviving 17th-century high-tenement house situated in the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. It has been restored and furnished by the National Trust for Scotland, and is operated as a popular tourist attraction. it is now a house-museum that explores in detail how the city’s residents lived in the Old Town over 400 years ago. Currently, six of its rooms are open to the public and all include original items from the 1600s, antiques and period decoration.

The Grassmarket is one of the oldest parts of the city, and although the architecture has changed the layout of its open space retains its historic character. It was used as a market from the 14th century, with cattle fairs, horse fairs and corn being bought and sold in its wide open space. But this also made it suitable for public executions, with the last hanging taking place here in 1784.

The statue of a floppy-eared Skye terrier has been sitting at the top of Candlemaker Row since 1873. Usually a flurry of camera-clicking tourists marks the spot. The dog, of course, is the world-famous Greyfriars Bobby. The statue is mounted on a polished column of granite, 3 feet high and 20 inches in diameter, above a polished granite basin 3 feet in diameter, mounted on a plinth, with an octagonal drinking trough at ground level.

Greyfriars Kirk is one of the most famous churches in Edinburgh where you'll find the famous Greyfriars Bobby buried. It is a Protestant church, built between 1602 and 1620, on the former site of a Franciscan monastery, making it one of the oldest buildings in Edinburgh.

Greyfriars Kirkyard is the historic graveyard surrounding the Greyfriars Kirk church, dating to the 1500s, and is rumoured to be among the most haunted graveyards in the world. The parish and graveyard are named for the defunct Franciscan friary on the site whose friars wore grey habits. The graveyard has seen many historic events take place within its grounds and is the site of not only historic resting places but heart-warming tales and bone-chilling ghost stories.